Our beloved staff writer Shaun has posted on the Jazz scene in town a number of times before, but I feel it’s time to give a little update, especially with the arrival of new readers that, among other things, the beginning of the semester shall hopefully bring. (We do need indeed more people to write about music, art, theatre, literature etc. to give this site more variety. Shaun cannot do it all by himself!)

So here is my subjective preview of Jazz for the next week and a half. Before people feel the need to point it out: yes, some of my own bands will be in it, but I’ll make sure to give a fair overview, including the latest jive-talk of the town.

So this Friday, August 22nd, we’ll start with a rare Jazz treat. John Carden and the Greenwich Swing Time will play at Friday’s after Five at the Pavilion. Those who have never heard him perform surely missed out on something rare. It is not necessarily the most swinging or avant-garde of all ensembles in town but they are a lot of fun. Think: Billy Eckstine meets Broadway career and then gets endorsed by the Charlottesville Jazz society. The backup band features Humberto Sales of Beleza Brazil fame. His playing alone will, I think, make this a nice Summer evening event.

Also at Friday’s after Five the local jack-of-all-trades Matthew Willner will perform with his Jazz quartet. Who knows what instrument he’ll be playing here. Every time I have seen him in the past I have been astonished how creative and sophisticated his playing is and he surely surrounds himself with great musicians. He deserves the big stage.

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July 21:  Song of the Day.  Larry Keel & Natural Bridge–Buffalo Creek

Late July feels like campfires, hazy mountain sunsets, and a pull from the moonshine jar.  Late July sounds like a sea of crickets and cicadas, a thunderstorm in the distance, and the music of Larry Keel.

The first time I saw Larry live was back in 1995 or 1996 as a member of Magraw Gap (not long after their run through the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in June of ‘95 where they won the best band competition).  The show was at a venue called The Office (which is now Mainstreet Bar & Grill) in Harrisonburg.  Larry on guitar, John Flower on bass, Will Lee on banjo, Danny Knicely on mandolin.  If you’ve seen them live I don’t have to say anymore, but it forever changed my view of bluegrass music.

In some ways those early Magraw Gap shows were for me what it must have been like to see Garcia, Grisman, and the rest of Old & In the Way back in the early 1970’s.  They spoke to the heart of bluegrass and transcended it at the same time.  And just as Old & In the Way before them,  Magraw Gap turned a lot of young folks on to bluegrass music.

[photo by John Rogers]

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A singer/songwriter, a bluesman, and a honky tonker.  Three local musicians who represent some of the best that Charlottesville has to offer in their particular genres will put on three great shows in two days as Paul Curreri (left), Eli Cook (center), and Jim Waive and the Young Divorcees (right) all bring their musical talents to local stages on Thursday and Friday.

Paul Curreri kicks things off on Thursday with his performance at the Gravity Lounge.  Paul is coming off a tour of Europe back in February and March and U.S. West Coast swing in April and Thurdsay’s show will mark Paul’s first performance in Charlottesville in quite some time.  His show at the Gravity will be a chance for local fans to welcome home one of Charlottesville’s brightest singer/songwriters.  Joe Pollock and David Jacobs open.  7:30pm.  $8.

For more info on Friday’s shows from Eli Cook and Jim Waive and the Young Divorcees… »Read More

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The sounds of live music at the Charlottesville Pavilion returns as Fridays After Five kicks off the weekend and the Pavilion’s concert series with The Sons of Bill jump starting the first of many TGIF’s to come over the coming months.  We’ve got all the details on tonight’s Fridays After Five show as well as the scoop on the Satellite Ballroom’s double-bill featuring Sarah White and 6 Day Bender in our Friday Feature. 

For the rest of the weekend’s happenings… »Read More

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The title alone should be enough to get the attention of our friends over at the Charlottesville Drinking Club.  Who knows?  Maybe once they hear about this one, they may change their usual Wednesday get-togethers to a Friday for a change of pace.  And why not? 

This Friday marks the beginning of one of Charlottesville’s Rites of Spring as Fridays After Five kicks off at the Pavilion on the Downtown Mall with The Sons of Bill!.  And if that alone isn’t reason enough to celebrate the end of the work week, then what do you say we up the ante with a smokin’ double shot of Charlottesville performers at the Satellite Ballroom to close out the evening as Sarah White opens for 6 Day Bender.  By the way, 6 Day Bender (pictured above) will also be celebrating the release of their brand new self-titled debut album on Friday. 

 Did I mention that it’s also supposed to be sunny and in the 70’s on Friday?  I’m not suggesting you call in sick to work and try to squeeze in a three-day weekend or anything but you may want, at the very least, to have Wahooptie on speed dial for that late night ride home.  For all the particulars on these Friday happenings…

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As the calendar turns from March into April, spring begins to unfurl in full force here in central Virginia.  And with the return of spring comes a return to outdoor dining on the downtown Mall, backyard barbecues, and hiking trips into the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Spring also marks the beginning of the outdoor music festival season and in today’s Sunday Feature we remind you to leave a few weekends on your calendar open for what promises to be a jam-packed music festival season.  And here’s the kicker:  You can see it all without even leaving the Commonwealth! (almost).  We’ve got all the details after the jump:

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I just returned from a little pow wow of a press conference at the Pavilion, where they just announced the first round of shows for their upcoming season. While they appear to be appealing to an older demographic (translation high cost of tickets), there are a few gems throughout the list. You be the judge.

April 26 Feist
April 27 Switchfoot
May 8 Gary Allen w/Sons of Bill
June 23 Emmylou Harris
June 28 Gladys Knight
July 26 Really Live from the Hook - Festival of local artists from the film including Skip Castro Band and The Casuals
July 29 Willie Nelson
July 31 Crosby, Stills, and Nash (No Young not worth it)
August 6 B.B. King
TBA Black Crowes
TBA Phil Lesh and Friends

Fridays After 5 (First Half)
April 18 Sons of Bill
April 25 Kings of Belmont/Six Day Bender
May 2 Eli Cook
May 9 Trees on Fire/Need to Breathe
May 16 Abbey Road
May 23 The Groove Train
May 30 Lee Boys
June 6 Original Charlottesville Allstars
June 13 Inner Rhythm with Heather Maxwell
June 20 TBA
June 27 Peyton Tochterman and High Society
July 4 Chickenhead Blues Band

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